[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Government of India has attracted criticism internationally for going after the press for exposing breach in security of Aadhaar data base, with the high profile American whistleblower Edward Snowden joining in.

Snowden said that the journalist exposing the breach should be given an award instead of being investigated by authorities. He added that the government, if it was concerned about justice, would reform its policy that “destroyed the privacy of a billion Indians.”

He said instead of prosecuting the journalist, the government should penalise the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) for the alleged leak.

The deputy director of the UIDAI, the agency executing the Aadhaar project, had filed an FIR with the Crime Branch’s cyber cell under IPC Sections 419 (punishment for cheating by impersonation), 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document), as well Section 66 of the IT Act and Section 36/37 of the Aadhaar Act.

“The journalists exposing the #Aadhaar breach deserve an award, not an investigation. If the government were truly concerned for justice, they would be reforming the policies that destroyed the privacy of a billion Indians. Want to arrest those responsible? They are called @UIDAI,” Snowden tweeted.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Earlier, in response to a tweet from Security editor for ZDNet at CBS, Zack Whittaker,  Snowden had tweeted that the Aadhaar database conceived and introduced by the Indian government can also be misused and abused.

“It is the natural tendency of government to desire perfect records of private lives. History shows that no matter the laws, the result is abuse,” he’d said.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Whittaker had said, “ICYMI. India has a national ID database with the private information of nearly 1.2 billion nationals. It’s reportedly been breached. Admin accounts can be made and access can be sold to the database, reports BuzzFeed.” (ICYMI = in case you missed it)[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American computer professional, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee, and former contractor for the United States government who leaked a trove of secret files to news organizations in 2013 that exposed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the National Security Agency (NSA). The leak created a furore, sending shockwaves through the system an made him an internationally known figure almost overnight. He has been advocating privacy rights since then.

The UIDAI, that operates the world’s largest biometric identity card scheme, was left red-faced following a report in The Tribune that claimed an agent on Whatsapp could provide unrestricted access to any Aadaar number for a paltry sum of Rs 500.

The UIDAI response was typical of one caught out. After the report appeared, the UIDAI had in a statement said that there “has not been any Aadhaar data breach”.

“The Aadhaar data, including biometric information, is fully safe and secure,” it had said, adding, “There has not been any data breach of the biometric database, which remains fully safe and secure with the highest encryption at UIDAI and a mere display of demographic information cannot be misused without biometrics.”

It then went and filed a complaint with the Delhi Police, specifically asking for a First Information Report to be filed against the agents mentioned in the story, as well as Khaira, the reporter and the Tribune. Ultimately, the police registered an FIR against unknown persons.

On Sunday, after coming under fire from all over including journalists’ bodies and Opposition parties, UIDAI claimed that it was “duty bound to disclose all the details of the case”, insisting that this should not “be viewed as UIDAI targeting the media or the whistle-blower or ‘shooting the messenger’.”

The Aadhaar scheme was introduced in 2009 to streamline welfare payments and reduce wastage in public spending. Since then, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been keen to mandate the use of Aadhaar for everything from filing income taxes to the registration of mobile phone numbers and booking railway tickets.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]